Plane Making

Craig Stevens

July 9-13

A finely tuned wooden plane is a joy to use; making your own can improve your craftsmanship and open up new design horizons in your work. In this weeklong course, each participant builds at least two wooden hand planes with step-by-step instruction from Craig and learns how to use them effectively. Craig places special emphasis on the mechanics of plane construction, sharpening, and fine-tuning to get the best performance out of your plane.

The first project is a smoothing plane made to fit your hands comfortably, with an extra-thick blade and a fine throat opening that produce an exquisite, vibrant surface on wood. Potential second projects are jointer planes, round-bottom planes for coopering, and small block planes.

Craig Vandall Stevens is widely admired for the design and craftsmanship of the one-of-a-kind furniture that he builds for exhibition and on commission. A 1993 graduate of the College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking Program, he now teaches workshops throughout North America and at the Shinrin Takumi Juku furniture making school in Takayama, Japan. Craig’s work is exhibited internationally and he has received numerous awards, including an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Ohio Arts Council. Craig has been a featured craftsman on the Home & Garden Television program Modern Masters and is the author of several woodworking books. His latest publication is The Fine Art of Marquetry: Creating Images in Wood using Sawn Veneers (Schiffer Publishing, 2010). His website is www.cvstevens.com.

Open to all.

Tuition: $695

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